Vent: I keep seeing people skip the baseline check on their total station setups

I was on a site in Phoenix last week, helping a new guy from another crew. He was setting up for a boundary survey and just leveled the instrument, shot his backsight, and started going. I asked if he checked the baseline distance between his control points, and he looked at me like I had two heads. He said he just trusts the coordinates from the data collector. I had to show him the printout from a job six months ago where that exact thing led to a 0.3-foot error over 500 feet because someone fat-fingered a coordinate entry. It's a five minute check with a tape measure that saves a whole lot of headache later. Why do you think people are so quick to skip that step? Is it just to save time?

My neighbor swears his car changed color overnight and I think I saw it too

He has a blue sedan, but yesterday morning he came over saying it was now a dark green. I looked out my window and sure enough, it looked green in the sun. The weird part is, I checked a photo from last week where his car is clearly in the background, and it looks blue there too. This isn't the first time, a friend in Austin said her front door was a different shade of red for a whole day last year. It makes me wonder if our brains just fill in colors wrong sometimes, or if something else is going on. Has anyone else had a simple object seem to change a basic detail like that for a short time?

Warning: My old wire stripper gave up the ghost mid-job yesterday

Was up in an attic in Phoenix, pulling new 12/2 for a bathroom reno. My trusty Klein strippers, the ones I've had since my first year in the trade, just snapped at the hinge when I went to strip a wire. The spring shot out and vanished into the insulation, of course. Felt like losing an old friend. Had to finish the job with my knife, which took forever and felt like a step back in time. I remember when these tools felt like they'd last forever, but I guess 15 years of daily use will do that. What's a good, solid replacement these days that won't break the bank? Looking for something that can take a beating.

Tweaked my technique and now beard trims are smooth and comfy for clients

Found an old notebook with anime debates from my teens

My friend and I filled it with arguments. Looking back, it's a sweet memory of our friendship.

Painting my entire hallway convinced me that drop cloths are mostly pointless.

A quick wipe with a damp rag catches all the drips just fine.

Kept my cool when the crane load started swinging

Was lifting a beam and a gust of wind caught it. I eased it down safely without any damage. It's a good reminder to stay sharp out there.

Heads up on those new glue-on shoes

Lately, a bunch of farriers in my area have been pushing glue-on shoes. I put a set on a quiet ranch horse last week. The glue did not hold, and the shoe came loose in the pasture. The horse took a bad step and is now lame. I feel terrible and won't use that method again without more testing.